Volunteers Help MACC Serve Area Families In Need

Soup Kitchen, Shelter Satisfy Growing Demand

IZZY EAGLESON, of Tolland, at right, serves a piece of apple pie to a client… (Cloe Poisson, Hartford…)

October 24, 2012|By MICHAEL WALSH, Special To The Courant, The Hartford Courant

MANCHESTER – — During any given week, it takes between 75 and 100 volunteers to operate all the facilities overseen by the Manchester Area Conference of Churches.

The volunteers, who might be distributing food at the pantry, feeding people at the soup kitchen or working at the overnight shelter, are the gears that make MACC run, according to Executive Director Beth Stafford.

"[Volunteers] are our life force," said Stafford, who has been in the position for almost 14 years. "MACC was built on volunteers."

MACC, a nonprofit organization made up of 36 area churches, has been a reliable resource to those in need in the Manchester area for nearly 40 years.

"These [volunteers] are your silent angels of the community," said Stafford, who mentioned all the seemingly small yet important jobs they do, like delivering bread daily to the Shepherd's Place Kitchen, located at 466 Main St.

Izzy Eagleson, a Tolland resident who has been volunteering at MACC for 13 years, said her experience as the dessert distributor for the soup kitchen overseen by MACC employee Carmen Matos has been rewarding.

"They talk to me like we're family and friends," said Eagleson. "[The volunteers] keep coming back because we love it."

"I'm mom for everybody," said Matos, who has been with MACC for 14 years. "I go home satisfied."

Eagleson, who has seen many success stories from those who make use of MACC's services, acknowledged how important the organization is to the town. MACC's Samaritan Shelter, at 466 Main St., is open seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.

"A lot of [people in Manchester] aren't aware of how many we do serve," said Eagleson, who said she might serve more than 100 people on an average day. "This is their [only guaranteed] meal for the day."

"How many people are out of work?" said Bill Oellers, an 86-year-old volunteer at the soup kitchen, which serves mid-day meals Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. "All of a sudden here you are [with] nothing. It is important."

Eagleson and Oellers are helped at the soup kitchen every Monday by Carolyn Badstuebner, a Vernon resident and another 13-year volunteer for MACC.

"[MACC] is a lifeline for them," said Badstuebner of its clients. "You wonder what they would do without it."

Like other organizations that serve basic needs, MACC has seen a 5 or 6 percent increase in use at both the food pantry and soup kitchen, according to its 2011 annual report.

Last month, the Hartford Foundation gave the organization $15,000, which Stafford said will go a long way.

"Those [donations] are critical," Stafford said. "They give you the money for basic needs. It could go to heat someone's home, it could go to feed someone, it could go to buying the food for the soup kitchen. It's whatever we need."

The $15,000 donation is especially helpful as the holiday season approaches. The MACC's 36 churches work together to "adopt" families and supply them with a full Thanksgiving or holiday meal. And even though things are becoming more difficult for everyone, Stafford hasn't had to say no to a family yet.

"It's crazy," said Stafford. "We go through the food as fast as we get it, but we haven't had to turn anyone away."

Stafford, who always appreciates the donations and what she's able to do with the money, said she prefers her job as executive director to be focused more on awareness.

"My job is to tell the story and let the community give," said Stafford. "I don't wring my hands, because this community is incredible."

And even though MACC has been serving the community for nearly four decades, the organization is always evolving. With the opening of a new clothing bank, all of MACC's facilities are now available at one location – 466 Main St. -- for the first time.

Borgida & Company, an accounting firm based in Manchester, is holding a food drive in support of MACC for the seventh straight year. Donations can be dropped off at 360 East Center St. in Manchester until Oct. 31. Donations can also be made directly to the food pantry during business hours.